The present disclosure relates generally to selector levers and, more particularly, to a failure detection mechanism for selector levers that may be found, for example, in the cockpit of an aircraft.
Conventional aircraft are commonly equipped with a selector lever for manually controlling the actuation of flaps, ailerons, or other moveable features of the aircraft. The selector lever is mounted in the cockpit for the pilot to select the desired equipment configuration by moving the lever to a position corresponding to the desired equipment configuration. The conventional selector lever is typically constructed with a shaft rotatably arranged adjacent one or two detent plates. One or two detent pins corresponding to the detent plates are movably arranged on the shaft. This configuration provides a measure of redundancy that allows the selector lever to be functional after one detent pin has failed. The ability to detect the failure of one or both detent pins would reduce maintenance costs and improve aircraft safety. Accordingly, the industry is receptive to new developments that provide the capability to detect the failure of a detent pin.